Essex Blue
S500-2 · #B2E4EC · LRV 71 — cool blue-green tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
- 1Wythe Blue48
- 2Ocean Boulevard53
- 3Essex Blue71
- 4Bubble77
- 5Frosty Mint83
What Color Is Essex Blue, Really?
Essex Blue reads as a cool blue-green tone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how Behr S500-2 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Essex Blue
Essex Blue is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Teals add character without shouting — good for a vanity, an island or a feature wall.
How Lighting Changes Essex Blue
At LRV 71, Essex Blue is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. Its teal undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Most complaints about Essex Blue are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr S500-2 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Quench BlueSW 6785 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.4 | 69 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Blue Seafoam2056-60 · Benjamin Moore | 1.1 | 69 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Out of the Blue5004-9B · Valspar | 2.5 | 69.4 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Seascape GreenPPG1233-4 · PPG / Glidden | 3.2 | 71 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Seascape GreenPPG1233-4 · Glidden | 3.2 | 71 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Aqueous Blue134-3DB · Dutch Boy | 1.9 | 67 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to Essex Blue within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #B2E4EC in HSL space. Pair Essex Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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